Euro first pick- Defenceman Jyri Niemi

[Shortys]

Jyri Niemi
Defence
BORN-June.15.1990
COUNTRY-FIN
LAST TEAM-HPK Hameenina
HEIGHT-6.03
WEIGHT-200
DRAFT-2008

[Trav]

interesting pick. Curious to hear what Molleken says bout him.

[GBG BLEED BLUE]

interesting pick. Curious to hear what Molleken says bout him.
Yes very interesting indeed,I think some of us thought that the Blades 1st pick would have been a forward,but that will/must be the 2nd pick.

At least this defencemen is big,and should not get pushed around,I wonder if we have ourselves a fighter?(ala Niko Snellman) That would not be a bad thing.

I am now curious to see who will be picked with the 2nd pick @ 71.

[Trav]

he's an all around type d-man and he's big at 6'3 so he's better then Visnah already lol in that category.

[Shortys]

www.saskatoonblades.com


Niemi, who hails from Hameenkyro, Finland was a member of the Under-16 and Under-17 Finnish national team in addition to also playing with his club team HPK Hammeenlina in 2006/2007. Niemi, a 17-year-old will be an imposing figure on the Blades blueline this season as he stands 6’3 and weighs in at 200lbs. Niemi is eligible for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Blades General Manager and Head Coach Lorne Molleken commented on today’s selection “We are very pleased to be able to select Jyri who is a big promising defenseman that we have received very good reports on from our contacts. He plays a solid all-round game and we believe he will adjust well to the Western Hockey League.”

[howley]

He is nearly two Visnak's in one. Amazing!

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

Haha, so true. but he was a solid player. Fast and energetic, this guy is 6'3 200+ lbs so and he is our first round pick so I hope he can contribute a little more than Visnak did.

[Trav]

so there'll probably be a bit of an adjustment period for him here. It's great though to see another Finn come here again, not that it matters where he's from . Would be cool if he's sorta like a Joni Pitkanen type player.

[GBG BLEED BLUE]

Just in case anyone was not sure how to properly say his name it is: Yu-ri Ny-eh-me.

I tried to find out more about him,like his playing style and they say his strength is shooting and the name Sami Salo was also thrown out as a comparison.

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?p=9712758#post9712758

Time will only tell. I really like this guy already and his English is very good.

Also in the SP article written in today's paper said that: "He's a mobile guy for somebody his size and he makes really smart decisions with the puck," said Oster. "He doesn't do anything fancy and I don't expect him to be an overly prolific offensive guy, but he shoots the puck well and makes strong decisions."

"I don't think he'll come in next year and be a huge impact player, just because he's 17 and there aren't many 17-year-olds that are impact players, whether they're from Canada or Europe," said Oster. "Yet as he matures and understands the North American style of play, I think he can be a very, very good player."

you can read the full article here:http://www.whlfans.ca/showthread.php?t=12673